Parents outraged at Lady Gaga concert: Calls for concerts to be classified

There’s news this morning that some parents who took their tween children to Aussie Lady Gaga concerts are gagging because of the adult nature of the concert. Rewind. Yes they are upset because a performer, renowned for her racy costumes and hybrid-burlesque-strip-show music videos, put on a concert that was probably best left to adults to see. They now want concerts to be classified just like movies and TV shows.

According to News.com.au, Linda Fitzsimmons took her nine-year-old daughter Jessica to the debut show on Wednesday and said that she was “shocked and surprised” by it.

“I couldn’t believe it. (Jessica) likes her songs and I’m OK with her listening to them. There’s no swearing in them and she’s too young to understand the hidden meaning,” she said. “But if I tried to take her to an MA 15+ movie someone would stop me at the counter. Why not with concerts?”

Linda is okay with her nine-year-old daughter listening to lyrics about riding disco sticks and she admits the songs have a hidden meaning, so how about also taking the time to research what the video clips are like that accompany each of the songs. Lady Gaga isn’t exactly what I’d call discreet. Getting an idea of the visual elements might have given her an idea of what the concert would be like. Even a browse through the magazines at her local news agent would have shown Gaga in a number of raunchy, revealing costumes. Not exactly a sign the concert will be of a Wiggles nature.

Linda aside, Promoter Michael Coppel says rating concerts won’t happen. He doubted that Australian tours would ever carry classifications, because most promoters do not see the show before they book it.

The Classification Board obviously chose not weigh in because it isn’t their area, but get this: Even Steve Fielding refused to throw his two cents into the ring. This is a man who feeds on this nonsense. It’s like water and air to him. Someone please check he is okay.